Light movement repetition training.
It’s literally just repeating movements.
Putting in strength is something for later.
But my partner, Lindell from the same room, unexpectedly struck me with force.
I don’t even know what his problem is.
Asking that can wait for later.
For now, I have to return the favor.
“Alright, it’s your turn to block and strike now. Let’s do it again.”
Lindell said casually.
“Yes, excuse me.”
I said that while gripping my sword tighter.
I took a slow breath.
For explosive strength, adequate breathing is necessary.
I just need to hold my breath briefly right before striking.
However, my hand holding the sword naturally relaxed.
I tightened my grip again, but then it loosened once more.
‘…What’s going on?’
It’s not that I’m holding it weakly.
But I’m not holding it as tightly as I intended.
How should I put it?
I gripped it tightly, yet flexibly and smoothly.
Instinctively, I realized this was the effect of swordsmanship.
It was my first time holding a sword.
I thought I just had to swing it hard and that’s it.
Like a baseball bat.
But that wasn’t it.
That’s the posture for wielding a blunt weapon.
A sword isn’t for swinging to hit an opponent; it’s a tool for cutting.
The corrections I received from the instructor earlier are finally making sense.
‘You don’t need to grip it unnaturally tight. You should use your wrist to enhance the centripetal force when striking.’
The shield is the same.
I could feel that my posture had become more solid since earlier.
“Why the delay?”
But it seemed Lindell didn’t notice this difference.
“Could it be that you’re trying to get back at me?”
As if he could dare to do that to a senior like me.
What great confidence.
Confidence and arrogance can be a tricky distinction.
I pretended to be weak on purpose.
“I’m sorry. The place where you hit me is throbbing…”
“Stop whining. Don’t think about taking it easy, just get your posture right.”
I glanced around.
Both the instructor and Gawain were looking elsewhere.
The only one watching closely was Eliya.
‘This isn’t going to be interesting, is it?’
What could she possibly find so curious?
Anyway, I angled my shield.
It was a round shield with a center grip, held in place by gripping the middle.
It’s quite large, so when I bring it close to my body, it covers from my chin to my abdomen.
Thanks to the features of swordsmanship, the basic maneuvers of the shield flowed into my head.
‘A shield is not just a defensive weapon. By securing your own defense, you can pressure the opponent aggressively instead.’
That’s why I held it at an angle.
To actively deflect my opponent’s attacks.
Lindell swung his sword.
A light movement, completely unexpected for a counterattack.
Normally, this should only be blocked with a light touch of the shield.
Right now, I had no intention of doing that.
I stepped forward.
My center of gravity shifted.
I swung the shield outward.
A short and swift, cutting motion.
Bang! Lindell’s sword was deflected outward.
His arms spread wide.
His upper body completely opened up.
That means his weakness was exposed.
I harnessed the inertia into the sword.
Twisting my waist, swinging my arm, and just before the sword made contact, I flicked my wrist.
I infused the rotational power of my body into the sword.
The blunt wooden sword hit precisely against his collarbone.
Bam! A sharp and crisp sound rang out.
“AAAH-!”
Lindell screamed and collapsed.
Holding his shoulder, he glared at me, then jumped up and charged at me.
“How dare you, you bastard-!”
The moment he tried to grab me by the collar.
“Enough!”
The instructor interrupted.
“What are you doing during training right now!”
“This guy hit me!”
The instructor’s gaze turned to me.
Just as he was about to speak.
“Wait a minute.”
Eliya interjected with a smile.
She didn’t say it loudly.
Her small, soft voice immediately silenced the commotion and pierced through our minds.
“First, he hit Judas.”
The instructor’s head quickly turned to Lindell.
“Is that true?”
Lindell merely opened his mouth.
He couldn’t possibly lie in this situation.
Saying Eliya saw it wrong would be ridiculous.
“…Yes.”
Lindell trembled as he admitted it.
“Why did you do that?”
“I-I…I was clumsy with my strength control…”
Lindell made excuses just like he did to me.
Of course, I didn’t believe him.
The instructor looked at Lindell with a cold, heavy gaze.
Then he turned to me.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
I stiffened my expression and apologized.
“I’m sorry. Since you initiated it first, I thought I should respond similarly…”
Eliya, who had been subtly watching, was now smiling brighter.
It seemed she quite liked my little lie.
“Lindell cadet. This is a warning. Be careful next time.”
“Y-Yes…”
Lindell, who was about to make some excuse, eventually shut his mouth.
The instructor turned around and shouted.
“What are you all staring at? Resume training!”
In the meantime, Lindell glared at me.
I asked with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“You bastard….”
The instructor sighed and turned away.
With the look of someone watching troublemakers, Lindell once again kept his mouth shut.
“I will oversee both of your training from right here. You two can begin.”
With the instructor right beside me, I resumed sparring with Lindell.
Lindell remained quiet until the training ended.
Except for his glaring eyes.
*
During lunchtime after the morning training.
Eliya left midway.
She must be busy.
The lessons she receives as a noble aren’t to be taken lightly.
She probably just managed to carve out some time to visit yesterday and this morning.
‘This will probably blow over.’
Even though I put on an interesting show yesterday, such things don’t happen often.
It’s a rare occurrence.
Today alone, there were some petty squabbles with Lindell, but that’s about it.
Even though Lindell is cocky, he isn’t doing anything as malicious as Kale.
“Hey, what happened? Did Lindell really mess up?”
While receiving my meal, Richard kept asking.
I didn’t want to blow this up unnecessarily.
It’s just the usual power struggles among young boys.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Something seems off…. Lindell has a surprisingly cocky side, you know? He doesn’t cross lines, though.”
“He hasn’t caused any real problems in particular.”
Dillon chimed in from the side.
“But still, man, there’s such a thing as intuition.”
“Lindell may be falling a bit behind in growth among our group…”
While the two discussed this, our roommates also chimed in.
Talking about what Lindell usually does, and more.
I let it slide as I wasn’t interested in gossip.
But I glanced around to see who was coming to talk to me.
‘The ones who were looking dissatisfied yesterday aren’t here.’
It seemed that factions were dividing even among the same room.
“Is the place you were hit okay?”
“It’s fine. I’ll stop by the infirmary after lunch is over.”
“Yeah, leaving it unattended will just get you sick.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
During lunch with Richard and Dillon, someone plopped down heavily in front of me.
I looked up while dipping a hard bread into the soup.
It was Lindell.
And the two guys next to him…I don’t know their names.
I just recognized them as the ones who weren’t laughing yesterday.
“Judas.”
Lindell growled.
“Does it look like I’m an easy target?”
“Then how about you?”
Before I could respond, Richard glared at Lindell as if he’d kill him.
“Do I look easy to you sitting next to me?”
“…….”
“What the hell are you doing arguing during meal time? Get lost before we turn your soup into broth.”
He may be young, but Richard is the eldest in Room 13.
He’s passed the most tests among the members of Room 13.
However, Lindell didn’t back down.
Instead, he stared down Richard defiantly.
‘He’s got some confidence.’
As expected, someone stepped up behind Richard.
Like they had been waiting for this.
It was someone different from the two who came with Lindell.
“Isn’t what Lindell said correct?”
A boy came up casually and put his arm around Lindell’s shoulders.
“After all, that newbie dared to hit senior Lindell hard; does that even make sense? He’s just been here for two days!”
I looked up and tried to remember who he was.
Then it dawned on me.
‘Argon. Age 15. And, a 5th-year cadet.’
He was a candidate who was in the same cohort as Richard.
But unlike Richard, he had never shown any sense of stability or leadership.
He seemed to hover somewhere.
Lindell and the two beside him were subtly mingling, not really friendly towards me.
The conclusion was simple.
‘He must be lacking in skills.’
A cadet who is disregarded due to terrible skills compared to higher cohorts.
His personality also isn’t very social.
He exhibited discomfort towards Richard multiple times. That Argon.
On the other hand, Richard brushed it off every time.
“Do you think I’m worthless or something, or is it permissible to act like this?”
Richard scoffed from the side.
I felt similarly.
For now, I kept my composure.
It was already too late to move on without escalation.
My instincts told me so.
But, now is not the time to blow up.
“I have one thing I find odd,” I interjected abruptly.
“If being a senior is that important, then why didn’t anyone say anything when I caught Kale?”
“Right, that’s a good point.”
Richard joined in.
“Last time you kept your mouth shut and stayed docile, but why are you acting like a senior now? Lindell, remember the time you got beat up just for making eye contact with Kale?”
“…….”
“Even though you can’t say thank you….”
“That’s that and this is this. Can you really compare a fellow roommate with Kale?”
Argon scoffed sarcastically.
Richard’s face turned red as he gripped his fork tighter.
“Yeah…maybe I was too light during the last sparring session.”
“What…?”
Perhaps stung in pride, Argon stepped up, slamming his hand loudly onto the table, and stared Richard down.
Sparks seemed to fly between their gazes, as if they were about to fight right then and there.
“Let’s not escalate this.”
Dillon cautiously interjected.
“If this turns into a personal fight, we’ll just have to report it to the responsible knight.”
As the lay leader, he bore that responsibility.
Before long, other cadets had gathered nearby.
This area was becoming raucous.
There were even those who were eager to egg them on, wondering why they hadn’t fought yet.
Richard clicked his tongue while leaning back in his chair.
Argon chuckled and stepped back.
Finally, Lindell quietly muttered, looking at me.
“I’ll see you later.”
“That bastard is going to the end….”
Ignoring Richard’s muttering, Lindell followed Argon to another table.
‘What a mess.’
I muttered inwardly.
“We should be the bigger persons and endure this.”
Richard said from the side.
“But just being bigger doesn’t mean we have to endure everything, right?”
“Those are wise words.”
My agreement made Richard chuckle.
Dillon shook his head and said, “Judas. You handled it rationally, but… don’t seek individual revenge. It’s different from Kale.”
As the dorm leader, he had a point.
Since I nearly executed Kale before them, it was reasonable to worry about something similar happening again.
“It’s fine. This sort of petty rivalry is commonplace, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“But I feel there’s ill intent behind this, not just petty rivalry. Did I do something wrong to those individuals?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure….”
Dillon and Richard contemplated for a while.
The conclusion was the same as mine.
There’s nothing.
“Lindell wasn’t always like that. Even though he comes from a noble background, he attempted to blend in with others. He had a hard time with it, so I had a few talks with him. He seemed anxious that his training isn’t going the way he wants.”
Dillon explained.
Richard sighed next to him.
“Argon wasn’t always like that either…. He started going downhill after failing a few tests.”
“Is that so?”
I accepted it calmly and sorted through the situation.
‘Inferiority complex. Insecurity.’
Such trivial matters, yet they often trip up human relationships.
It all comes down to pride. Ultimately.
I was Lindell’s junior.
It has only been two days since I started here.
But I stood out too much.
It’s not just because I exposed Kale’s evil deeds to the world.
I also seem to have caught the attention of the candidates aiming for ‘Eliya.’
It’s hard to define what “catching her attention” entails, but it’s clear that the goal of these cadets is to win her favor.
‘A situation where one isn’t performing in training. And the succeeding junior shows up better than before.’
No wonder things would get twisted.
Especially since they are all around 14 years old.
This world treats children harshly.
Kids can’t help but mature quickly.
In Korea, they would be middle schoolers.
It is understandable to react emotionally like that.
‘I get it, but I won’t be making any allowances.’
I am a person who does my utmost regardless of age.
I once took a break from university to work as a martial arts instructor.
I treated elementary and middle schoolers equally, giving my best.
‘Hmm… I made a lot of kids cry during that time. Now that I think about it, I’m younger than Lindell here?’
I don’t intend to handle them like Kale.
Hearing more, it seems they aren’t fundamentally bad kids.
They aren’t on par with Kale level.
‘Boys grow up fighting.’
Then, I’ll set the stage for a bigger fight.
The afternoon class is sparring, after all.
For whatever insecurity or reason.
I plan to trigger that emotion and backstory all at once.
*
Eliya didn’t attend the afternoon training.
That’s a relief.
I’m planning to create a major incident today.
Although it might not be as impactful as Kale’s incident.
In any case, leaving a lasting impression on Eliya is not a good thing.
Right before the sparring began.
I was equipped lightly, just like in the morning.
Richard glared at Argon as if ready to pounce while grabbing his sword.
During this moderately noisy and quiet preparation time.
I raised my hand subtly.
Gawain, who was directing the training in the center, noticed me.
“What is it?”
“I request a trial duel.”
A trial duel.
A simple method of resolving disputes through force.
Typically, it’s where well-groomed noblemen would challenge each other, saying, “You’ve insulted my honor and that of my family. It’s a fight for our honor!”
Even in this training facility, disputes can be resolved this way.
Usually, it’s avoided due to bothersome hassle.
Since it was such an abrupt suggestion, Gawain seemed taken aback for a moment.
“Who will you be challenging?”
“Lindell, the senior from Room 13.”
Lindell’s face showed clear shock.
That would make sense.
He likely intended to challenge me first.
His earlier words about meeting later meant that.
I didn’t think Gawain would reject it.
A duel closer to real combat serves as a valuable lesson just by watching.
Above all, I am a candidate favored by Eliya.
There’s no need for him to oppose this.
‘Not that the endorsement is of good meaning.’
…Would he decline since it’s my first duel?
“The first duel to be a trial duel. It would serve as a good example on many levels, right?”
Fortunately, he didn’t take issue with it.
But saying “many levels” is quite vague; wonder what that entails.
Does he also find me a nuisance?
“Lindell, will you accept the duel?”
Lindell couldn’t refuse.
To do so would be synonymous with fleeing; it would mean accepting and acknowledging one’s wrongdoing regardless of the facts.
“…Yes. I will.”
Lindell spat while glaring at me.
Right after that, someone suddenly raised their hand.
“I also request a trial duel.”
It was Richard.
Gawain nodded again.
Richard wasted no time and pointed his sword at someone.
“Argon, you’re up against me!”
Now it’s me versus Lindell.
It’s Richard against Argon.
Both trial duels were set.
It was my first time fighting holding a sword and shield.
Even if the weapons were wooden and training-friendly, it’s still my first time.
It’s utterly different from the light movement repetition training we had performed this morning.
This is a real duel.
I have no choice but to fight sincerely from my first duel.
However, the concept of ‘dueling’ within certain rules is exceedingly familiar to me.
I’ve fought so often with others in my past life.
The genre may vary, but the experience cannot be disregarded.
Confidence to win is overflowing.
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